I have been battling with smoking for some 15 years. I have cut way back from 3 packs a day down to 4 to 6 cigarettes a day. I have sever COPD and am on oxygen 24/7 with a multitude of meds to help me breathe. With only 2 to 3 years left to live, I am wondering if quitting smoking is a case of closing the barn door after the horse is already gone. Not that I am justifing smoking at all but being as sick as I am, why add the anguish and pain of withdrawal from smoking when it is too late for it to really make any kind of difference anyway. It seems to me to be like building a home you know you aren't going to be able to live in because it is in the path of a tornado, just because everyone else thinks you should. Is it for the "good old college try"? Is it for that last test of will power? The end will still be the same.

It is never too late to quit smoking cigarettes.I smoked for 33 years and 20 years of my parents and others left over smoke. I quit for good and will never pick up a cigarette again.I have severe COPD and two and 1/2 years ago I went to the hospital because I couldn't take a step. I kept trying all day to go outside to smoke a cigarette or at least a puff and managed to go out twice and couldn't do it. My lungs gave them up for me, thank God.I always thought that it would take a two week hospital lock up with drugs to get me to quit, but it just took me saying no more.I did stay in the hospital for 5 days and I just did not want to put another cigarette in my mouth and suck the smoke into my lungs. I had a real good scare that time. They did give me a patch and Wellbutrin (now they have Chantix) but I tore the patch off after 3 days to get the nicotine out of my system. I didn't notice any withdrawels from the nicotine, but I definitely had to find something else to do than smoke. I was nervous and anxious even with the drug although not so much as needing other things to do. I got over that after about two weeks and guess what? It was not so bad after all.I hate smoking now and yes I am one of those!!!! LOLBut, I can taste food better, smell better and yes I am going to live much longer than if I kept smoking.I don't know why you think you have only 2 or 3 years to live. My guess is some stupid doctor told you that. I had a doctor tell me 10 years two years and 3 months ago and my condition has not deteriated one little bit.I am excercising, keeping up with doctor appointments and using my inhalers as prescribed. I come to these message groups and info groups for support and info and have learned a great deal from all here.Please tell us your story and FEV level or percentage. Tell us what medications you are taking etc. Oh, I am at 47% and I am not on Oxygen yet. When I need it I will use it, but I will never pick up a cigarette again as it will do harm to my lungs that I am trying to avoid.Please tell more about yourself.

I want to echo Casey a bit, it is never too late to quit. And Dr's are only guessing (badly most of the time) on how much time you have left. But he is probably basing this on the fact that you are a smoker. The chances of you dying sooner rather then later are greater if you continue to smoke.

If you don't quit smoking you will probably die sooner (echo)If you don't quit smoking you will be miserable everyday, gasping for breathe, coughing and all the other *good stuff* that goes with smoking.

If you quit smoking your chances of living longer may increase.If you quit smoking you may have a few weeks or month that you are miserable with more coughing then usual, maybe a bit more SOB, but that will go away and you will find you are better then before. The time you have left will be more pleasant and you may find you have much more time then you thought!

Before you quit you feel like you're dying of emphysema. After you quit you feel like you are living with emphesema. I can't describe the incredable relief that is. To quote my COPD group motto "Breathless not hopeless" I'm 56 now with severe Copd. I plan to live til i'm 70." Every day should be a celebration- every day. Every day there should be an understanding about what it means that this breath came."~ Prem Rawat (Maharaji) ~

Before you quit you feel like you're dying of emphysema. After you quit you feel like you are living with emphesema. I can't describe the incredable relief that is. To quote my COPD group motto "Breathless not hopeless" I'm 56 now with severe Copd. I plan to live til i'm 70." Every day should be a celebration- every day. Every day there should be an understanding about what it means that this breath came."~ Prem Rawat (Maharaji) ~

Why quit at 70..I was diagnosed at 50 as severe and I'm 76 now and still going strong.

I see that this forum hasn't been posted in for quite awhile. I'm new in here; was diagnosed about 9 months ago, and about 10 months before that, I quit smoking. Prior to that, I saw very bad signs, but was depressed and didn't care enough to even try to stay healthy. Believe me, when I started getting serious about my health, I finally kicked the habit. I'm pretty sure it's for good this time. Like someone said earlier, it hurt to even pull that smoke down into my lungs. I had smoked for many, many years. It's never too late to quit. Repeat: It's never too late to quit. Since I started reading these posts, I can see how a prognosis can be very inaccurate. And I love the line, "Why quit at 70" Why indeed??